Skimmer, a leading industry business software platform, has released its first industry report, entitled “The State of Pool Service.”

Using a combination of survey r esponses from 1,700 pool professionals as well as anonymous activity of more than 25,000 users, the report seeks to show how they are:

• Planning on meeting market challenges, notably rising costs.

• Structuring their businesses and charging for their services.

• Using technology to increase efficiency and get a leg up on the competition.

According to Jack Nelson, Skimmer CEO, there’s a information gap in the pool industry, and the sheer volume of activity on the Skimmer platform means they are in a unique position to provide insights about the industry.

“We saw an opportunity to help support all pool pros, whether they’re using Skimmer or not, with information to help them succeed.”

Main Takeaways:

1. Rising Costs. Nearly 74 percent of service pros plan to combat rising costs by increasing prices in 2024.

2. Strategic Pricing and Business Models. Understanding how to leverage the four most common pricing models (per stop, per month, plus chems, and including chems) to remain competitive and profitable will mean the difference between succeeding or failing in 2024.

3. Growth Levers. Service professionals are split on their top priorities: Growing net profits and increasing gross revenue.

4. Labor. 52 percent of service pros want to hire employees in 2024, while 47 percent will keep staff the same size.

5. Marketing. Only 35 percent pay for advertising. Most rely on wordof- mouth referrals and social media.

6. Digital Operations. 75% of survey respondents reported that they are using software to manage some part of their business.